Seven years ago my brother married a lady from Riga, Latvia. It's especially wonderful when we get to welcome a new family member from another culture because it gives us an opportunity to learn about new customs and sample ethnic dishes we may not have ever tried before.

To help Gunta feel more at home here in the states, my brother found a website for a Latvian Center in Portland, Oregon and soon they were shuttling back and forth between Pendleton, where they lived, to various activities at the Latvian Center. Then this year, my brother and Gunta moved to the Portland area so they could be closer to other members of the Portland Latvian community. When I was visiting them in their new home in Columbia City, Gunta mentioned they were eagerly anticipating the annual holiday bazaar that would be held on Thanksgiving weekend at the Latvian Center and I asked if I could go with them.

So, Saturday I had the chance to sample a little Latvian culture for myself. Various members of the Latvian Center offered a variety of delicious homemade desserts like fruit and nut tortes and apple cakes. They also displayed a wide assortment of savory breads including some of my brother's favorite pīrāgi, little crescent-shaped yeast rolls filled with chopped bacon and onion. I also admired the intricately patterned knitted gloves, hats, scarves and hand-woven table linens along with books, photographs, glassware, jewelry and other mementos featuring pictures of Latvia and countrymen dressed in the various folk costumes of the different regions. One of the ladies hurried over to tell my brother that there was only one wedge of Jāņu siers left so if he wanted any of the carraway seed-flavored fresh-cooked cheese he'd better hurry. This exceptional cheese made from curds is one of the traditional foods prepared for the festival of Jāņi,originally a Latvian celebration of the summer solstice held on June 23.

I bought a handmade knitted doll in a traditional Latvian costume, some fragrant soap with a picture of two women in Latvian dress on it and a braided loaf of sweet saffron bread with almonds and raisins called Klingeris that I will freeze then warm up for our family Christmas celebration.

At noon, lunch was announced and I indulged myself with some of the most delicious cabbage rolls I had ever eaten along with mashed potatoes and a specially seasoned gravy, salad and buttered peas served with
Saldskabmaize, a sweet and sour rye bread. Unlike the cabbage rolls I had eaten at a little Russian café in west Eugene that were simmered in a tomato sauce, these were simmered in the broth from the seasoned ground beef filling similar to these Polish golabki .

Afterwards, Gunta and I shared a piece of hazelnut torte frosted with delicately sweetened whipped cream and finely ground hazelnuts. I found a recipe on the web for Latvian Hazelnut Torte but noticed it was frosted with a mocha buttercream frosting. I'm sure I prefer the sweetened whipped cream as it is much less sugary and lets you enjoy the delicate flavor of the nuts. Gunta told me that many desserts in Latvia are garnished with sweetened whipped cream rather than the heavier sugar-based frostings used so often here in the states.

I also learned that hazelnuts grow wild in Latvia so hazelnut torte has been a festival dessert there for centuries. Hazelnuts grow wild here in Oregon too but a more robust variety was commercially planted at Dorris Ranch here in Springfield in 1903. That orchard was the foundation for today's thriving Oregon hazelnut industry.

Cake-like desserts made from ground nuts or nut flour have been documented as far back as the 17th century. The Linzer torte, based on a recipe dating back to 1696 (or possibly an earlier recipe found in a 1653 codex), was originally made from almonds but almonds were so expensive that only wealthy nobles could afford dishes prepared with them. So the dessert was modified to use walnuts or hazelnuts that were more readily available.

Needless to say I enjoyed every bite of the delicious Latvian cuisine. I look forward to going to Latvia with Joe Bill and Gunta one day. They still maintain a flat in Riga and visit Latvia every couple of years so hopefully I won't have to wait too long!

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About Me

I am passionate about technology, education and history, particularly ancient history. I am constantly exploring ways to use technology to enhance the learning environment and am particularly ecstatic when I can develop a technology to advance the study of ancient history.Follow me on Twitter! Comments or Questions: mharrsch@uoregon.edu

Can't Afford a Safari?

Resistance is futile!!

Las Vegas offers nongamblers like me a number of other family oriented activities. I had a great time at Star Trek: The Experience (now sadly closed as of September 2008) and Madame Toussaud's Celebrity Encounter!

History really does come alive for me!

I appreciate history from all historical periods but I have always been especially interested in ancient Mediterranean cultures. Although I am fascinated by ancient Egypt, I became totally entranced by ancient Rome after reading the "Masters of Rome" series of novels by Colleen McCullough and in particular the life of Julius Caesar. McCullough's novels, "The First Man In Rome", "The Grass Crown", "Fortune's Favorites", "Caesar's Women", and "Caesar", made this complex personality come to life. He was not the cold and calculating tyrannical conqueror often depicted by various historians apparently with their own political axes to grind. He was a tender lover, a skilled orator and advocate, a talented poet and historian, a consumate politician, and a man with integrity as well as cunning and military genius.

In the beginning...

I was raised in Bandon, a small community on the Oregon coast famous for its historic lighthouse and beautiful beaches. Although Bandon is now a trendy tourist destination, in the fifties and sixties it was a quiet little town that depended on fishing, timber harvest, and the cultivation of cranberries. My father, already retired from the Navy by the time I was six years old, moved us to Bandon to be near his elderly parents and opened an upholstery shop...More>>

Hail, Caesar!!

On the Ides of March 2005, I had the honor of laying roses on the remnants of Julius Caesar's funeral pyre at his temple in the Roman Forum - one rose for each of his 23 grievous wounds. In all I spent eleven memorable days in Italy, soaking up all the history I could in Rome, Pompeii, Tivoli, and Florence. I threw five coins in Trevi Fountain so I obviously hope to return!

Collecting Historical Dolls

Although I have collected period dolls casually for several
years, I did not become a serious historical doll collector
until I visited a website put up by another historical doll
enthusiast who specialized in Cleopatra dolls. I was amazed
at all of the different versions of the Queen of Egypt that
had been produced over the years by various doll companies
and individual artists. I resolved that day to focus my doll
collection and use this hobby to help disseminate historical
information in an interesting and enjoyable format. More >>

Collecting pictures of dead people I don't even know

I began collecting Cameo Creations in 1994 when I found two portraits at a local flea market. At the time I did not realize there was such a variety of subjects, frame styles and even objects including mirrors, wall shelves and candlesticks that featured the distinctive ornate style highlighted by portraits of women primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries. My son once told his friends that his mother was little strange because the house was full of pictures of dead people we didn't even know! I have purchased some for as little as $6 but they average $12 - $22 for the 7 1/2" size depending on where you find them and the type and condition of the frame, the glass, and the image. I eventually discovered that they are often auctioned up on Ebay and have obtained several in this way including the four portraits featured on this page. The majority, however, I have found at flea markets and in scattered antique shops. I have also found Ebay to be a valuable reference source. I have purchased some portraits that no longer bear the identifying sticker but by looking at others offered for sale on Ebay I have been able to identify mine.

Holy Land Experience Offers History Buffs An Interesting Outing!

While in Orlando, Florida several years ago, I explored the, then new, Holy Land Experience, not as a particularly religious person but as someone interested in ancient history. Although the obvious message woven into the fabric of this "theme park" was an evangical one, as a student of history I still found my time spent there enjoyable and educational.

Movieland Wax Museum brought back childhood memories

Being a very strict disciplinarian, my father only allowed us to have one formal outing a week and I usually chose the local theater that ran double features (now a thing of the past) on Friday and Saturday nights. At that time the film industry offered many historical pageants like Ben Hur, Spartacus, and El Cid which not only appealed to my love of history but ignited my passion for cinema, a passion that has not dimmed over the decades. Sadly, Movieland Wax Museum has closed. But, you can revisit through my website.